Upgraded (film)

2024 film by Carlson Young

Not to be confused with Upgrade (film).

Upgraded

Release poster

Directed by| Carlson Young
Written by|

* Christine Lenig
* Justin Matthews
* Luke Spencer Roberts

Produced by|

* Mike Karz
* William Bindley
* Lena Roklin
* Piers Tempest

Starring|

* Camila Mendes
* Archie Renaux
* Thomas Kretschmann
* Grégory Montel
* Lena Olin
* Marisa Tomei

Cinematography| Mike Stern Sterzynski
Edited by| Bruce Green
Music by| Isom Innis

Production
companies

* Amazon MGM Studios
* Gulfstream Pictures

Distributed by| Amazon Prime Video

Release date

* February 9, 2024 (2024-02-09)

Running time

| 104 minutes[1]
Country| United States
Language| English

Upgraded is a 2024 American romantic comedy film directed by Carlson Young and starring Camila Mendes, Archie Renaux, Thomas Kretschmann, Grégory Montel, Lena Olin and Marisa Tomei.[2]

The film is a modern-day retelling of the classic fairytale Cinderella and was released on Amazon Prime Video on February 9, 2024.

## Plot[edit]

Ana (played by Camila Mendes) is an ambitious intern, dreaming of a career in the art world while trying to impress her demanding boss, Claire (played by Marisa Tomei). Because of the expensive cost of living in New York, Ana currently lives with her sister Vivian and Vivian's boyfriend Ronnie, who has been urging her to move out. During an auction at work, Ana realizes there has been a typo in the auction's catalog mislabeling the type of paint used on a piece that is about to be sold. Ana informs Claire of the error just in time to make the correction, gaining her a little respect. The next morning Claire invites Ana to serve as the assistant to her assistants on an upcoming work trip to London.

Upset by Ana's ambition, Claire’s two assistants Suzette and Renee wait until the group is boarding their flight to reveal that they have booked Ana an economy ticket for a flight that leaves 4 hours later. The ticket agent at the check-in desk witnesses this mistreatment and decides to upgrade Ana's ticket to first class. While waiting for her flight in the first-class lounge Ana distractedly answers a phone call and proceeds to spill her Bloody Mary on a wealthy man named William (Archie Renaux). Ana and William end up sitting next to each other on the flight to London and hit it off. During the flight, Ana accidentally leads William to believe she is the art director of her company's New York office. He is very impressed and when they land, introduces Ana to his mother, Catherine, who is a UK celebrity. Catherine insists that they drive her to her hotel and exchange phone numbers.

Suzette and Renee continue to sabotage Ana, assigning her an office in the basement and a room at a separate cheaper hotel. Ana receives a voicemail informing her that she left her laptop in Williams's car. That night she goes to Catherine’s house to retrieve her laptop and finds herself in the middle of a party. There she sees Catherine's extensive art collection, meets a famous painter, and continues to lie about being the director of a New York auction house.

Suzette and Renee task Ana with getting last-minute tickets to a performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, while continuing to assign her all of the work they don't want to do. Desperate to get tickets, Ana visits William who is coaching an at-risk youth soccer league. William invites her to have lunch with him which she has to decline due to her workload. William also tells her that there is a party being thrown that evening and his mother, Catherine, wants Ana to attend. Before Ana leaves, Will clarifies that he would also like her to attend, as his date.

Ana runs back to the London office and arrives just as Claire asks Suzette if she got the tickets. Suzette is forced to admit that she was not able to and is further embarrassed when Ana shows her up and turns in the tickets to Claire. Background tensions rise as Arnold, the art director for the London office, and Claire are both vying for the company’s head director position.

Ana attends the party, with William and Catherine, in a designer dress that she "borrowed" from Claire. When she suddenly sees Claire arrive with Suzette and Renee, she is scared her lie will be revealed and attempts to run off. Will catches her before she leaves and instead takes her to go dancing at a local bar. At the end of the night, William wants to take Ana back to her hotel. Embarrassed by where she is actually staying, Ana has William drop her off at Claire's much nicer hotel and makes an excuse to prevent him from coming inside. Before leaving, William confesses that he is falling in love with her.

Over the next week, Ana and William continue to spend time together, growing closer and developing their relationship. William tells Ana that he has spent his whole life being used by other people but that she is different and he admires her for being down-to-earth and humble despite her wealth and success. He tells her he knows her job is important and that he has arranged to transfer his work to New York so that they can continue their relationship.

At the office, Claire praises Ana's hard work and promises that there will be a promotion in her future. Renee interrupts their meeting to reveal that a major client has just pulled out of their upcoming auction. That client is Catherine, William's mother. At that same moment, William arrives to surprise Ana at work and she rushes him out of the building. William tells Ana that he had nothing to do with his mother's decision and doesn't understand why she is acting so strange. He questions whether Ana was just using him to secure his mother's sale and breaks up with her.

When Ana goes back into the building she is confronted by Claire who has discovered her lie and her relationship with William's family. She is fired and escorted out of the building.

Ana visits Catherine and confesses that she is not the successful art director she was pretending to be. Instead of being upset, Catherine is proud of Ana for her honesty and agrees to rejoin the auction on the condition that Ana is the one who handles the sale. Ana is re-hired and manages to sell Catherine's art for much more than expected. She goes back to the soccer field and apologizes to William who tells her that he didn't like her because she was rich, he liked her because he thought she was an honest person.

Ana returns to New York and six months later she has not heard from William but is thriving in her career. Ana throws a party to celebrate the opening of her own art gallery. At the end of the night, after everyone else has left, William arrives with a suitcase.

[3]

## Cast[edit]

* Camila Mendes as Ana[4]
* Archie Renaux as William[4]
* Marisa Tomei as Claire[5][6]
* Lena Olin as Catherine[5]
* Anthony Head as Julian Marx[7]
* Thomas Kretschmann as Arnold Grant[7]
* Grégory Montel as Gerard Abel[7]
* Rachel Matthews as Suzette[7]
* Fola Evans-Akingbola as Renee
* Aimee Carrero as Vivian
* Andrew Schulz as Ronnie[7]
* Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Amy[7]

## Production[edit]

In August 2022, it was reported that Camila Mendes and Archie Renaux were cast in the film, which entered production in the United Kingdom.[4] The following month, it was announced that Marisa Tomei and Lena Olin were part of the cast.[8]

## Release[edit]

Upgraded was released by Amazon Prime Video on February 9, 2024.[9]

## Reception[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 46 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Lightly entertaining even as it hews to genre convictions, Upgraded is an appealing option for anyone seeking a good old-fashioned rom-com."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[11]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Upgraded (15)". BBFC. February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
2. ^ "Upgraded' Review: Camila Mendes Takes Flight in a First-Class Cinderella-esque Rom-Com". Variety.
3. ^ Upgraded on Prime
4. ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (August 18, 2022). "Riverdale''s Camila Mendes To Exec Produce & Star Opposite Archie Renaux In Gulfstream Pictures' Rom-Com Upgraded From Director Carlson Young". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
5. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (September 1, 2022). "Marisa Tomei & Lena Olin Join Carlson Young's Rom-Com 'Upgraded' For Gulfstream Pictures". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
6. ^ "Camila Mendes Deals with an Intimidating Boss Played by Marisa Tomei in 'Upgraded' Trailer (Exclusive)". Peoplemag. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
7. ^ a b c d e f Grobar, Matt (October 28, 2022). "Andrew Schulz & 'Do Revenge's Rachel Matthews Among Six New Additions To Gulfstream's Rom-Com 'Upgraded'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
8. ^ London, Rob (September 2022). "Marisa Tomei and Lena Olin Join Camila Mendes in 'Upgraded'". Collider. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
9. ^ DeVore, Britta (January 16, 2024). "Sparks Fly Between Camila Mendes and Archie Renaux in First Upgraded Trailer". Collider. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
10. ^ "Upgraded". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
11. ^ "Upgraded". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 15, 2024.

## External links[edit]

* Upgraded at IMDb
* Upgraded at Rotten Tomatoes